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10 on 10: October - Katy

For this month's 10 on 10 post, I wanted to feature our sweet girl, Katy. I see that many people share photos of their children in their posts, but for me, it's this precious four-legged bundle of black and white fur--with the white becoming more prominent as each day passes.

She is 15 years old this month. Though the exact day will never be quite clear, I have decided to make it the 10th.

She has only been in my life for about 6 years, as my life with her started when I met her Dad, Phil. He was always a dog lover, but being a single man who worked many hours, he was reluctant to have a pet of his own. Katy, at around 4 1/2 months old, managed to prance her way up to him one morning in the parking lot of the building as he arrived to work. He pet her and loved her up before he had to get in to see patients. It seemed that whatever room he moved to in the building, she was outside the window begging for his attention. Though there was a wall between them, she followed him everywhere. He thought about taking her home, but by the end of the day, one of the nurses decided she would take her to live with her family.

Phil thought about her all day and night and had some regret in not claiming this abandoned little pup before anyone else had. However, the next day, the nurse brought her back to work, saying that Katy wasn't a good fit with her family. At that moment, Phil knew she was his, just as Katy had known the minute she found him.

Through the years, she became his constant companion, and though a bit unruly at times in the first years, she came to work with him on many occasions, spreading her joy for life to the elderly patients he treated.

I met her when she was nine which is when these photos of her began. I had been wanting a dog so badly, after previously having had three labs of my own. Then I met Phil, and Katy was part of the package. She became such a huge part of my world. We'd go to the beach, on hikes, and anywhere I could possibly take her.

Every morning we'd do our yoga (up-dog and downward dog) and I'd sing silly songs to her. I still do the singing part if she's awake when I am. She has always remained patient through all my photo shenanigans, bless her heart!

At 15, she remains one of the biggest parts of our lives, though she has slowed down substantially. We miss the way she used to howl when we came in the door, or if we kissed each other before greeting her. We miss her jumping up on the bed for snuggles or up on the couch for what we called "pack time". We miss taking her to dog beach where she would run wild and free in the water, and we even miss her very protective ways of barking at anyone who dared to talk to us at the door.

She has lost her hearing and her howl, and after a grand mal seizure last February, she rarely runs and tires easily. Watching our girl age before our eyes, though a part of life, has been difficult, but we love her up every chance we get, make her as comfortable as possible, and we're so grateful for every one of the millions of moments of joy she brings to our lives...

Neither one of us can wait to see her after being out of the house for any length of time and we marvel at every cute little thing she does. Happy Birthday to our girl, Katy!

Please follow around the 10 on 10 circle, starting with Stephanie. Enjoy!